History

In the early 1960’s, materials engineering activities began at the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 1980, the Materials Engineering Department was established as an independent unit at the Technion, and granted Masters and Doctoral degrees to outstanding candidates. In 1994 the bachelor’s degree program was launched in Materials Engineering. This change resulted in considerable expansion of the research and teaching programs in the department, to incorporate subjects that are at the global forefront of this field. For more than fifty years, the outstanding alumni from Materials Engineering have contributed to the high level of research and development and technological innovativeness in Israeli and international industry. World leading hi-tech companies and the Israeli unique defense industry would not have been the same without the invaluable contributions of our alumni.

The fields of interest of our faculty include the entire life cycle of a material; from product production, through application for human use, up to recycling to protect the environment. These requirements pose enormous challenges that can be handled using the theoretical knowledge and professional experience accumulated in the department. The vast knowledge and experience are invested in turning a student into a skilled materials engineer, with adequate scientific and technological capacities and capabilities to successfully meet future challenges.

Currently, about 300 students study in the Materials Engineering bachelor programs. About 100 students study for higher degrees; Masters and Doctoral degrees. The department staff consists of 16 senior academic staff members, adjunct lecturers who are mostly experts from industry, and junior staff consisting of students pursuing higher degrees. Spacious lecture halls, advanced computers and fully equipped teaching labs are available to the students.